Well, that’s how I’m feeling at the moment with the backload of cool old vintage retro and fun places to share with you, dear readers! We’ve crammed a lot of travel into the past few months, and I just don’t even know where to start. Will you help me?

Please let me know which of these to write about, so I can start climbing that mountain!

Do you want to learn where to dine on German food, surrounded by knotty pine?

OR where to get breakfast at the counter?

OR where this gorgeous art deco delight is?

Or find out where this homage to Bill Cosby is located?

Maybe you’d like to know where to get a delicious sandwich and one of these tasty drinks?

Or where to gaze at this delightfully decorated plaster ceiling while buying some of the most delicious candies ever?

or get a cheeseburger like THIS!

And that’s not even the half of it!

It’s a wonderful thing to know that there are so many neat places out there that I’ve been able to visit within the past few months, but that doesn’t help you learn about them until I post’em!

So, reader’s choice – what goes first?

Thanks! xo Mod Betty

Now this has been the 2nd time in the past week that I’ve heard the (new to me) term Aloha Shirt to describe the tropical pattered tiki or Hawaiian shirts that I’m familiar with. The first time was of course when I told you all about the lecture being given this upcoming weekend at the Hula Hula Floridiana show.: “The Culture of Aloha Shirts” with Dr. Gary Moss

It’s quite the tiki week for us now that I think about it, as we just had a lovely evening in historic Bethlehem, PA chatting with FB pal Andy Panda of A. Panda’s Tiki Lounge!

Though it was a cold rainy night in Pennsylvania, we imagined that the beers in our hands were mai-tais and we were lounging at the Levitt Pavillion listening to the exotic melodies of Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica – a rare upcoming tiki inspired event happening here in the Keystone State on Sunday May 27th!

So while it’s grey and cold on the outside, if you look closely you can find some sunshine to help you make it through the winter!

(That little map had me stymied for miles! Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa?, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and I confess, I had to look up a few – eek!)

I felt it was only right to share this with you, dear readers, as I’m just lil ol me, and have my weaknesses just like everyone. Even when it’s related to something so important to me – like MAPS!

But yes, Elementary school friends and I joke about spending almost an entire year learning about the Revolutionary War and no time on the states outside of New England, as Geography was replaced with Social Studies.

I’m mortified when I can’t immediately see a map in my head when someone mentions a state, but I think it’s also why I’m so committed to Retro Roadmap. After each Retro Roadtrip I realize I have my own memories of these states, and can picture us driving through them. AND I hope that these cool old places we tell you about will help you put these states on the map in your mind.

Now all I have to do is get through all 48 and then all 50!

So I’m watching Beach Party Movies, making plans for an unexpected but welcome invitation to head down to Orlando in a few weeks, but really wishing there was some way I could pull off a 1 day visit to Florida next weekend to attend the  “Florida Memorabilia, Tropical Touches & Highwayman Artists” show at the Historic Palladium Theatre in downtown St. Petersburg on Sunday January 29th. I’d send you all a postcard, I promise!

Our friends at Hula Hula Productions have put on some fun shows in the past including the Retro-Rama Antiques & Collectibles Show, the Collecto-rama Antiques & Collectibles Show and Baby Boomerablia Antiques& Collectibles Show. Now they’re bringing us:

Florida’s largest show & sale of all vintage Floridiana – its hip, entertaining, and filled with Florida flair,  and the only show in the Sunshine City featuring the original Florida Highwaymen artists!

Attendees will find everything for sale from fun Florida travel ephemera and tacky tourist treasures like alligator handbags and flamingo figurines,
to sought-after collectibles such as hand-painted jewelry with miniature Florida scenes, vintage Florida photographic art, and citrus and cigar box labels.
Discover small furnishings and lighting made of Cypress knee woods, vintage wall mirrors with flamingo images, ceramic statues of tropical birds,
and old Florida art. Decorators will especially enjoy the tropical backcloths and other vintage fabrics
and one of the largest collections of vintage Florida license plates will be available for sale as well.

Doesn’t that sound like just the greatest thing?!!

I remember telling folks about this show last year and penciling in this weekend on our own busy Retro Roadcalendar. Now I’m absolutely crushed we can’t make it to this year’s edition (Retro Roadhusband has some gigs) especially because there are some talks that I’d just LOVE to attend!

Like…
“Taking A Textile Trip Back in Time…to the Era of Barkcloth” by Brian Walsh, aka the “King of Barkcloth.”

Brian is a textile archeologist of sorts, having spent over two decades searching for the very best of barkcloth designs. Covered in Brian’s talk will be a discussion of an era gone and the impact barkcloth had on the designs of the time, how to differentiate new from old barkcloths and what are the most collectible patterns and colorways, plus tips on collecting and caring for vintage fabrics.

And…

“The Culture of Aloha Shirts” with Dr. Gary Moss

His collection of vintage Aloha shirts is featured in the Schiffer book “Hawaiian Shirts: Dress Right for Paradise,” and has also been exhibited at the American Textile History Museum. This interesting lecture will cover the history of Aloha shirts, what makes them collectible, and how to recognize if your shirt is valuable. Wear or carry your vintage Aloha shirts to receive a free appraisal of age and value. Several exhibitors will have vintage Aloha shirts, including “The Aloha Shirt” folks, who will have hundreds of shirts for sale at the show.

And…

Florida Author Meet and Greet!

Several Florida authors will be participating. Larry Roberts, author of “Florida’s Golden Age of Souvenirs: 1890 to 1930″ and considered by many to be the “guru” of collecting old Florida memorabilia will be exhibiting and selling, as well as Ken Breslauer, author of “Roadside Paradise — the Golden Age of Florida’s Tourist Attractions 1929-71″ and Wayne Ayers, author of numerous Florida history books, including “Tampa Bay’s Gulf Beaches: Fabulous 1950′s and 1960′s” and “St. Petersburg: The Sunshine City.”

Not to mention an exhibit & sale of paintings by the Florida Highwaymen, Free Florida Art Valuations and more!

Wish I could go – think I may just look at Orbitz as soon as I post this! And saying that next year Retro Roadhusband is not allowed to book any gigs that weekend – unless they’re in St. Pete!!!

2012 Floridiana Festival & Highwaymen Artist Show
Historic Palladium Theater
253 Fifth Avenue N.
St. Petersburg FL

Sunday, January 29, 2012
10:00 am to 5:00 pm

View FL – Florida Retro RoadMAP in a larger map

(Stinky photo, I know, but it was torrentially raining out!
I’ve got a better shot in the daylight, showing their sassy Peanut Man, at the end of the post.)

Opened in 1933 and still family owned and operated, The Peanut Bar was a welcomed refuge for us after dodging the raindrops. Soft lighting, vintage photos lining the walls,red checkerboard table cloths, we knew we picked the right place. And the peanut shells on the floor? Those are what make The Peanut Bar famous! You can even see a Travel Channel video about it on the front page of the Peanut Bar website.

Since it was so dark and stormy out (and a Tuesday) we practically had the place to ourselves so we sat at the bar. What luck! Our bartender Peter was a total gem, chatting with us about just about everything, from the history of the City of Reading (which he said was known as “Las Vegas East” back in the city’s heyday), to reading as a verb. Peter is a big book fan – a Bibliomaniac if you will,  and has his own book review show “Bibliomania on local TV.

Retro Roadmap Recommendation: When you go to The Peanut Bar, if Peter is there, sit at the bar.

(Peter, posing with one of the bar’s famous beer “fishbowls”/ Notice it’s empty – and would stay that way. We needed to drive home in the rain!)

During your visit you’ll notice many vintage pieces from the Peanut Bar’s long history still adorn the room, and if you ask nicely Peter will be more than happy to tell you about them. Like the hand crank phone at the end of the bar for example.
In addition to making us feel right at home and our drink glasses full, Peter also let us know that the food at The Peanut Bar is something they’re quite proud of. Indeed, upon glancing at our menus we were pleasantly surprised to see such exotic delights as ostrich burgers, bison burgers and wienerschnitzel along with more familiar entrees. (Tuesdays are Wild Game nights.)

I opted for the fish & chips,  RRH had the bison burger and of course we had some peanuts while spending our time at the bar. Shells on the floor brought me flashbacks of The Ground Round, but the Peanut Bar is much cooler than that place ever was.

(My fish even looked like a fish! And they Peter knew to bring Malt Vinegar without asking- nice touch!)

What a lovely evening we had at the Peanut Bar! We know the place is usually hopping, but were delighted to have the opportunity to chat with Peter and the staff about Reading, reading and days gone by.

Speaking of days gone by- a few days later I was in the neighborhood again (I always seem to Go West on my roadside adventures) and was able to snap a better photo of the exterior of Jimmie Kramer’s Peanut Bar Restaurant, including their Peanut Man! This was taken from the street parking, but there’s also a parking lot and entrance behind the restaurant.

You can’t take a ride on the Reading Railroad anymore, but to travel back in time all you need to do is visit Jimmie Kramer’s – The Peanut Bar Restaurant, in Reading, PA.

Jimmy Kramer’s Peanut Bar
332 Penn Street
Reading, PA 19602-1010
(610) 376-8500

View PA – Pennsylvania Retro RoadMAP in a larger map

In any case, just to tickle your tastebuds here are some of the places / things you’ll be seeing on Retro Roadmap comin’ up:

• Our trip to Buffalo New York – talk about tastebuds! Can you say Sponge Candy and Beef-on-Weck? Nom!
• Our visit to the Jello museum – watch it wiggle, see it jiggle…
• Connecticut visits where we had the cheesiest cheeseburgers, and learned about the history of the radio and other cool vintage technology.
• Speaking of vintage technology – I promise to clue everyone in on the wonderful things to discover at the Victrola Museum in Dover DE
• We had a delightful visit to Jimmy Kramer’s Peanut Bar just up the road in Reading PA – pull up a bar stool and we’ll fill you in!
• Boston, if you please, Massachusetts! We only had a short jaunt home for the holidays, but GOSH what we crammed into one day out with the Retro Roadkids:
• The Larz Anderson Auto Museum (I remember going there when I was a kid!)
• Ice cream sundaes at Cabot’s
• A Retro Roadmap Revisit to the (now “Deluxe”) Town Diner in Watertown (hadn’t been there since the 90′s myself)
• An inspiring visit to Irving’s Brookline toy shop run by Ethel Weiss (she’s 97!)
• Our vintage-inspired shopping binge at Buckaroo Mercantile
• And a way overdue clue-you-in on a hidden tiki gem in a Newton MA strip mall.

I know, it’s A LOT, but I’m committed to continually finding, sharing and celebrating these cool old places – before it’s too late!

Phew,

Happy New Year everyone!

Mod Betty

According to the Youtube description:

This wonderful 12 minute film of Willow Grove Park shows what it was like visiting it in the late 50′s, 60′s and finally the early 70′s. Most of these attractions would remain until the park’s final days. This film is used in a 1 hour documentary that I will release on DVD soon.

UPDATE!  I’ve contacted Secret Cinematarian Jay Schwartz and he and the official Secret Cinema are not involved with this project, as an FYI.

A Willow Grove chrome postcard was the first ever vintage post card I bought (but certainly not the last, as the mess at Retro Roadmap HQ will attest!)

I’ll keep everyone in the loop about the documentary – in the meantime enjoy the video and the swingin’ soundtrack!

Actually it usually isn’t as bad as this- Retro Roadhusband and our pal Martin are doing some work on the outlets in the room and they had to empty out an entire 5′x5′ bookcase in order to move it. But, yeah, I had the resolution to get things organized – especially after this room became the “shove it all in here before the Christmas party” room. Now it’s a necessity.

So if you’re wondering what Mod Betty is doing with her “free” time – I’ll hopefully be making some sense of this mess! I’m posting this photo so I have the goal of posting an “after” photo within the next few weeks.

But, where to start?! I’m thinking if I just keep my back towards it, maybe it will go away?!

I’m filing this one under “mess”ages from Mod Betty

I’ll let her fill you in on the store history just like she would if you were visiting the store yourself – including her memories of what it was like to grow up in the store, gypsies, going to college during wartime and even a papier mache figure of William Penn. You’ll also get a glimpse of the interior of the store that no words of mine or snapshots can effectively evoke.

(If you’re wondering who the dashing gent is in the photo behind her – NO, not honest Abe, the man smoking the pipe! – It’s her husband, who passed away when he was only 46.)

When we approached the store on a brisk fall day, we weren’t sure what to expect. But with the proliferation of flags and references to the previous Presidential visit, we were hardly surprised to hear Sousa military march music playing the store as we entered (you can hear it in the background of the video). It certainly lent a “stepping back in time” kind of vibe to our exploration of the store!

The patriotic theme continued throughout aisles of the store, where we were amazed by the amount of merchandise – old and new, on display and in storage around the store.
Hats, gloves, books, sweaters, candles, perfume bottles, decorative plaques, jewelry boxes, tote bags, candies, flyswatters, home goods, garden implements, gimcracks and gewgaws, you name it, you could probably find it there. It’s more like a combination museum/antique store/gift shop and blast from the past.

(I honestly wasn’t sure if this gum was for sale or just for display, but when the setting sun hit it just right I just had to snap a photo.)

As you wind your way down the aisles lined with merchandise you’ll come across a “store within a store” – yes, this historic store itself has a representation of an antique country store within it, giving you an idea of what might have been sold during the past 100 years at this very location. So it’s (stepping back in time) x 2!
The signs outside indicate that there are all sorts of prom dresses for sale, unfortunately for us they are on the second floor of the store, and we were told it was closed the day we were there. There’s also a back room with all sorts of hardware store and paint items on display and even a basement level you can roam around in if you ask nicely.

Mrs. Harbaugh seemed quite smitten with Retro Roadhusband, and you could see from the photo she proudly displays of her departed husband that she knows a good looking man when she sees one! Retro Roadhusband added to his allure when he purchase an Amish style hat from her, and wore it proudly (or stoically, as the Amish might) as we left the store.

If you’re ever in the Biglerville area you absolutely must visit Thomas Brothers store and make the acquaintance of Mrs. Harbaugh yourself.  It’s just a few miles up from historic Gettysburg, so make sure you’re added to the list of the nice people who have passed through their doors.

Thomas Brothers Country Store & Museum
4 South Main Street
Biglerville, PA 17307
(717) 677-7447

View PA – Pennsylvania Retro RoadMAP in a larger map

Today seemed like an appropriate day to share an excerpt of a 1912 recording of Auld Lang Syne played on a hand cranked Victrola during my visit to the Johnson Victrola Museum in Dover DE yesterday.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Not in my book. I’ve been thinking a lot this weekend about my dad, who would’ve been 75 yesterday, and of Retro Roadhusband’s parents, both of whom passed away just 6 short years ago. It makes me appreciate what time we all have here on this mortal coil, and how lucky I am to have so many good friends, old and new, near and far.

(I’ll have a more detailed post about the Victrola museum soon. It’s totally Retro Roadmap worthy!)

Looking forward to an even more excellent year for Retro Roadmap – I’ve got so many cool and exciting things on my list and in the works, I can’t wait! Let’s raise a cup of kindness for all of us and 2012.